Mayor Jennings - Fulfilling the Promise


By DIA, Section News
Posted on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 03:51:46 AM EST

I can't think of a better campaign slogan for Jennings than "fulfilling the promise". Whether it is handing out free parking garages to Donald Led Duke that he promised while they were throwing back some cold ones at a Giant's game or telling the "VIPs" that they didn't have to worry about parking tickets in "his" city, he has been a man of his word. If he tells you not to worry about the laws in Albany, that he has your back, he means it. Too bad that is illegal.
David Grandeau, the state's former lobbying commission director, said the receipt of free parking by a government official for their private cars could be problematic.

''You may very well have a technical violation of the gift ban provision contained in the public integrity's recent decision involving gifts to public officials,'' Grandeau said.

The issue is also prickly because Jennings is a registered lobbyist for the city of Albany and parking could be considered a ''thing of value,'' Grandeau noted.

The city of Albany redacted some 35 license plates from the records it turned over under FOIL, including Natoli's former state-issued SUV, by claiming those vehicles are ''used in law enforcement investigations.'' But Natoli retired at the end of 2006. The Times Union traced the vehicle through a State Police parking placard that Natoli had kept in his windshield.

At least two other license plates redacted from the VIP list by the city also are not used in law enforcement investigations, the newspaper confirmed.

One was a car assigned to an assistant chief and not used in an undercover capacity. The other vehicle was a black Chrysler sedan that was issued 20 ''no-fine'' tickets in 2003 and 2004. The police force does not own Chryslers or, use them in investigations, a person familiar with the fleet said. During that period, several members of Mayor Jerry Jennings' administration, including the mayor and deputy mayor, Phil Calderone, drove Chrysler sedans, a city official said.
I like how parking could be considered "a thing of value".
The records obtained by the Times Union show Tobin received approximately 196 ghost tickets since 2003.
Could be? 200 tickets? Hell, they booted Glen Casey's car for getting 4 or 5 tickets and charged him a couple of hundred bucks. Now multiply that by 50 and see if it is a "thing of value".

Spin all you like, this is a crime. Theft of taxpayer dollars. Blatant crime. I'll wait for Mayor Jennings to call for the resignation of the head of the BID. Maybe that can be how he announces he is running for re-election.

And all those "redacted" license plate numbers. That wouldn't be certain common council members who are so adamant that we don't investigate this, would it? Mr. Conti? Mr. Rosenzweig? Remember your big speeches from earlier this week? Too bad those are on video now, eh? Maybe you should go back and watch them and how you argued so adamantly against investigating these crimes.

On an absolutely hilarious side note, this is the quote from the Chairwoman of the BID's board of Directors.
Tracy Metzger, chairwoman of the BID's board of directors, said she does ''not really want to be drawn into this.''
No, really? You must be doing a great job as the head of the BID if you don't want to be involved in things that involve it. No wonder downtown is such a ghosttown. You might remember the last time you saw Ms. Metzger's name in the Times Union. It was when she was writing an angry letter to the TU about how they didn't properly cover Mayor Jennings' "Lifetime Achievment" award from SUNY. She really wanted to be drawn into that.
Also, I believe the use of the word "cites" in the headline was a poor choice and would have preferred to see "UAlbany honors, lauds, or even recognizes Mayor Jennings for leadership." The significance of awarding the UAlbany Medallion -- the University's highest honor -- to Mayor Jennings is a milestone recognition; one far more deserving than the Times Union story represented or suggested
Yeah, I would've gone with "lauds" too, but only because it rhymes with "frauds".

Make sure to pay your taxes and your parking fines so that the mayor and his friends don't have too. They all thank you for your efforts.

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Mayor Jennings - Fulfilling the Promise | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
Epic diary. (none / 0) (#1)
by iron lung on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 06:19:50 AM EST
I think you should go easy on Gerry; he's taken so long to enact change because he's had to fight against the political machine that is Albany.

(snark)

Kudos (none / 0) (#2)
by albany layman on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 06:33:38 AM EST
to Brendan Lyons and whoever else works with him over there at the TU.

I give crap to the TU when it deserves to get crap.  But Lyons' work is consistently informative, on-point, and well researched.  We'd be in the dark without his stuff.

Divine intervention (none / 0) (#3)
by albany layman on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 06:35:53 AM EST
There was no policy for who was placed on the list, no documentation on its creation, and no formal procedures for the issuance of ghost tickets to VIPs, according to a written response from city attorneys related to the Times Union's FOIL request.

[...]

Police Chief James W. Tuffey and Mayor Jerry Jennings both said they were unaware that cars with the bull's-eye stickers had been receiving free parking tickets dating to the early 1990s.

It's a miracle!  Divine intervention!  Intelligent design!

Which miraculously benefits the city's VIP's.

This article was the result of FOIL requests by the TU, and it's not the whole story.  Looks like subpeonas are the way to go.  

If I was Ellis, I wouldn't start with Mesley though.  I'd find out which poor sap had to sit at the computer and maintain the list, and get that poor sap to say who was running this thing.

Bullseye . . . or bull s**t? (none / 0) (#6)
by TerryONeillEsq on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 07:52:01 AM EST
Police Chief James W. Tuffey and Mayor Jerry Jennings both said they were unaware that cars with the bull's-eye stickers had been receiving free parking tickets dating to the early 1990s.

[ Parent ]
Are you sure Terry? (none / 0) (#7)
by FedUp on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 01:18:01 PM EST
I mean, just because he was a member of the APD and head of the union he should have known about this?  Let's see, this has been in place for more than 15 years and Tuffey retired from APD in 1995....

Once again it's "I don't know 'nothing about this".  Wonder if the good chief pays his tickets - he is making the good bucks pulling in his retirement plus his full salary as APD chief.  

Just think about all the video cameras that could have been purchased for the patrol cars and interrogation rooms had the parking fines been paid!

[ Parent ]

Who ever said "life is fair" (none / 0) (#4)
by hawkny on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 07:02:37 AM EST
doesn't live in Albany.

Provocative (none / 0) (#5)
by TerryONeillEsq on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 07:47:15 AM EST
Yeah, I would've gone with "lauds" too, but only because it rhymes with "frauds".

DIA: Was that comment for my benefit?

Look on the bright side, people (none / 0) (#8)
by Tom Paine on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 02:04:55 PM EST
Think of all the new revenue that will be pouring into our city coffers now that all these free parking spaces have been taken away.
[sarcasm mode off]

 

Happy New Year (none / 0) (#9)
by TerryONeillEsq on Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 05:24:44 PM EST
On January 1, 2008, my car was towed during a snow emergency.  When I arrived at the garage that had towed it, there were a lot angry people waiting to pay the towing fee and retreive their cars.  One of the attendants told us that Mayor Jennings' car was among those they had on their lot and that he would have to pay up like everyone else.  

Are you selling a bridge also (none / 0) (#10)
by albany guy on Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 11:28:03 PM EST
The day I believe that Jerry's car was towed in Albany is the day I buy a bridge.

ABJ (anybody but jerry) all the way

[ Parent ]

Gradeau say technical violation (none / 0) (#11)
by albany guy on Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 11:32:55 PM EST
I am curious what the difference is between a technical violation of ethics law and I guess a regular violation?

Technically speaking, when a law or regulation is violated then it is violated. When people add "technical" they are really saying "who cares if the guy just violated the law"

Mayor Jennings - Fulfilling the Promise | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
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